More Than Politics

Julie Walsh and Dr. Michael Towle discuss the concept of executive power – the power assigned by our constitution to the executive branch of government – and given to it (or taken by it), over more than two hundred years of muddling through the checks and balances instituted by our founders. 

At a time when the presidency seems to be growing ever more powerful, it’s good to stop and consider the history, and wonder about the future, of executive power in the United States.

Dr. Michael Towle is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Mount Saint Mary’s University, where he has taught since 1991. He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Towle teaches introductory and advanced courses in American politics, including Parties and Elections, The American Presidency, Congressional Politics, and the Supreme Court and Constitutional Law.

The following op-ed, written by Dr. Towle, was mentioned in this episode:

“Accurate results are worth waiting for”,  op-ed,  The Baltimore Sun, March 2019.

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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Julie Walsh and Dr. Linda Wansi discuss a topic that any good citizen – and especially any good Christian – should be willing to wrestle with: being open to the idea that we could be wrong.

From abortion to race to spiritual hang-ups in their own lives, the two discuss the work it takes to be honest with yourself in considering the idea that you could be wrong, and that you need to change. 

Such work is important in building up one’s own spiritual health, but it’s also important in building up the civic health of a democratic society.

Dr. Linda Wansi is a cradle Catholic who fell away from the Church, but was called back to the fullness of her faith after what she considers a miraculous encounter with the Eucharist. When she is not caring for patients in her dental office, Linda can be found chasing her two toddler daughters, or chasing sleep. She is passionate about spreading the Gospel and proclaiming the sanctity and dignity of all life, from womb to tomb.

To learn more about Linda, follow her on Instagram at camericanchick.

The following documentaries were mentioned by Linda in this episode:

13th
https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741

The African-Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
https://www.pbs.org/show/african-americans-many-rivers-cross/

The following posts from Julie’s blog relate to her part of the discussion:

Focus on Him
https://thesewallsblog.com/2020/06/05/focus-on-him/

We’re Not Called to Win, We’re Called to Work
https://thesewallsblog.com/2019/06/14/were-not-called-to-win-were-called-to-work/

The Tragedies We Honor, and Those We Don’t
https://thesewallsblog.com/2019/05/07/the-tragedies-we-honor-and-those-we-dont/

A Love That Changes You
https://thesewallsblog.com/2013/06/18/a-love-that-changes-you/

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this special, bonus episode, Julie Walsh commemorates the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. She was very near the tragedy that day – working in her office just a half-mile from the Pentagon when the plane struck the building. Julie has written a little about her experience over the years, and now that she’s podcasting, has decided to share her story here too.

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh is again joined by her friend, Dr. Jill Scheibler, for the second part of their conversation on the 2020 Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Jill is a community psychologist, a college professor and research coordinator, an art therapist, and the cofounder and Operations & Program Director of the nonprofit Make Studio, which empowers artists with disabilities to grow as professionals with visibility and voice in their communities.

Although not formally a student of political science, Politics-watching is Jill’s main hobby. She is an avid daily reader of news, she enjoys the political "horse race" but not at the expense of substance, and she knows all 50 states’ U.S. Senators by name if not sight. Jill identifies as a left-of-center/"pragmatic progressive" Democrat.

In this second part of their conversation, Julie and Jill cover the use of the White House as a setting for the Republican National Convention (and therefore potential Hatch Act violations), the involvement of the Biden and Trump families in the conventions, the tone of the conventions, and how you could see, reflected in the conventions, the existential threats of concern to varying elements of the political spectrum.

After their conversation, Julie provides a more personal take on what she (a disaffected Republican) thought of the conventions.


Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh is joined by her friend, Dr. Jill Scheibler. The two put on their amateur pundit hats to discuss the 2020 Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Jill is a community psychologist, a college professor and research coordinator, an art therapist, and the co-founder and Operations & Program Director of the nonprofit Make Studio, which empowers artists with disabilities to grow as professionals with visibility and voice in their communities.

Although not formally a student of political science, Politics-watching is Jill’s main hobby. She is an avid daily reader of news, she enjoys the political "horse race" but not at the expense of substance, and she knows all 50 states’ U.S. Senators by name if not sight. Jill identifies as a left-of-center/"pragmatic progressive" Democrat. 

Julie and Jill’s conversation has been split into two parts. In this episode (Part 1), they cover our traditional expectations of political conventions, how those expectations (and the conventions themselves) had to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic, what each party needed to achieve with its convention, who its target audiences were, and what the conventions said about where the parties are heading.

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh talks with writer Leslie Sholly about the experience of being politically uncomfortable. The two enjoy a kinship of sorts: their political views are similar to one another, but make them outliers in their respective communities. 

Leslie, who lives in a conservative, southern, Republican state, identifies as a pro-life Democrat. And Julie, who lives in a liberal, east coast, Democratic state, finds herself as a sort of moderate, uncomfortable Republican. Both identify with the minority parties in their states, but find themselves as ideological minorities even within those parties. 

Both very well used to being politically uncomfortable.

The following posts were referenced in this episode:

https://lifeineverylimb.com/2016/11/02/catholic-to-my-toes/

https://lifeineverylimb.com/2016/11/06/catholic-voting-101-a-guide-for-the-confused/

Leslie writes at https://lifeineverylimb.com/

She can be found on:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/lifeineverylimb

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeslieSholly

Instagram: http://instagram.com/LeslieSholly

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/LeslieHSholly

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LeslieSholly

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/life-in-every-limb

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh talks with Dr. J. Kristen Urban, Professor Emerita from Mount St. Mary’s University. Dr. Urban, who has taught a variety of courses related to international politics, has spent time in Israel/Palestine, Russia, Romania, Italy, Turkey, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. In 2003/04, she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to Bahrain.

In this second of a two-part conversation on the current state of the U.S. on the world stage, Julie and Dr. Urban discuss the Obama and Trump administrations, China and the Middle East, trade and conflict. And they discuss the implications of an increasingly isolationist United States as we face the global challenges of the future.


Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this “emergency” episode, Julie Walsh seeks to provide context on Lebanon for those who are tracking developments related to the August 4th explosion in Beirut, but who don’t know much about the country where it took place.

She talks with Dr. J. Kristen Urban, Professor Emerita from Mount St. Mary’s University. Dr. Urban, who has taught a variety of courses related to international politics, has spent time in Israel/Palestine, Russia, Romania, Italy, Turkey, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. In 2003/04, she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to Bahrain.

To learn the basics about the explosion itself, check out the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnSr820S2Mk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpY9qUbPXbM

To learn more about how the explosion impacts Lebanon's already-present crises:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53698564

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/07/899776352/beiruts-explosion-looks-like-an-accident-and-a-sign-of-the-country-s-collapse

And to help the people of Lebanon, please donate to a reputable charitable institution with a presence in the country, such as:

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) https://cnewa.org/campaigns/lebanoncrisis/

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) https://www.icrc.org/en/document/beirut-emergency-medical-supplies-delivered-12-hospitals-blood-donations-sought

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh talks with Dr. J. Kristen Urban, Professor Emerita from Mount St. Mary’s University. Dr. Urban, who has taught a variety of courses related to international politics, has spent time in Israel/Palestine, Russia, Romania, Italy, Turkey, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. In 2003/04, she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to Bahrain.

In this first of a two-part conversation on the current state of the U.S. on the world stage, Julie and Dr. Urban review the international developments that, since the end of the second World War, have set that stage.

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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In this episode Julie Walsh talks with John Miller, an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who, as a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal for 13 years, reported from over 40 countries. John, an American, grew up in Brussels. He now lives in Pittsburgh. 

Julie and John discuss the moment we find ourselves in, both here and abroad: the coronavirus pandemic, the economic uncertainty it has unleashed, and the movement against racial injustice that has followed the death of George Floyd.

You can learn more about John, and find links to his work, at www.johnwmiller.org. You can watch John’s first film, Moundsville, the biography of a classic American town, on your local PBS station or through www.moundsville.org.

In this episode John and Julie reference the following articles:

https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/11/28/my-ancestor-owned-41-slaves-what-do-i-owe-their-descendants

https://dailyyonder.com/in-historic-first-protests-spread-to-more-than-3000-towns/2020/06/10/

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/04/03/road-trip-through-swing-states-coronavirus-hit

Visit www.thesewallsblog.com/morethanpolitics to learn more about this podcast.

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